


Connections

by Kastrallis



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Angst, Badassness!, But I probably suck at it, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know and I don't care, I try to write fight scenes, Is that even a word?, Self-Hatred, Watch out fer dem plot twists!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-05-14 22:27:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5761237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kastrallis/pseuds/Kastrallis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a She-Wolf named Clare leaves her sister and goes to the Big Apple to check out a blip on a radar, there was nothing that could've prepared her for what she finds. This is my first story on AO3, so bear with me, here!</p><p>I don't own the TMNT or its characters. I only own Clare and Kristin.</p><p>EDIT::If you want a description of Clare, then you can find one in my works :3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So It Begins...

 I looked up from the computer screen I had been staring intently at for the last half hour at least. I cracked all the bones I could and rubbed my eyes. Being in New York City was great, but already I was starting to miss hanging out with Kristin, my sister. We still kept in touch via e-mail and text, but it was different not having her by my side.

 I sighed and grabbed my phone and jacket, my usual armor for a late night walk. I texted Kristin before heading out the door that I was taking a walk.

 I was staying in an apartment in the quietest part of town to try to avoid the traffic, and it seemed to be working for now. The street I was walking down would’ve seemed deserted if it weren’t for the occasional apartment light on.

 I texted Kristin and asked why I was even here in the first place. Here’s a little how our conversation went:

Me: How long do I have to stay here??  
Kristin: Just as long as the blip on the radar doesn’t fade. Why?  
Me: Dude, I wanna come home. Believe it or not, I’m starting to miss beating the catcallers up XD  
Kristin: Pfft well just hold out until whatever this is clears up. Besides, it’s only your first night. What could go wrong?  
Me: Wait…I think I hear something…

 Sure enough, I heard sneering laughs and the sound of a fight coming from the alley in front of me. I put my phone in my back pocket and peeked around the corner of the building.

 Purple Dragons. Six of them. By the looks of things, they had a new victim to pick on. I backed up to turn and climb to the roof of the building for a better look, but I bumped into a brick wall that wasn’t there before. I turned around to see a behemoth of a man leering down at me. I recognized him instantly as Hun; blond hair in a ponytail, scars on the side of his face, right down to the Foot tattoo on his left shoulder.

 He reached down and picked me up by the hood of my jacket, lifting me up to his ugly face. He grinned and sauntered around the corner. “Hey boys! Lookee what I found!” he said, lifting me up like some sort of prize.

 The other gang members took their focus off of whatever else they were doing and jeered up at me. “Here,” Hun growled, “Put her with the other one.” He dropped me roughly onto the pavement.

 Another gang member with a baseball bat picked me back up and threw me into the far wall like a ragdoll.

 I opened my eyes to see someone else slumped next to where I had landed. He had a blue strip of cloth on his face with cutouts for the eyes. And...did he have a...turtle shell!? I put a hand on his shoulder, and he didn’t react.

 I snapped back to reality to hear Hun saying something about ransom. “Her parents would pay a pretty price for her,” he said, smirking down at me. “But first,” he bent to be eye-level with me, “Let’s take a look at the merchandise…” He started unzipping my jacket.

 I suddenly grabbed his face and focused as much energy to my hand as I could. He yelled in agony, and when I let go, there was a burn mark on his face where my hand had been. “You messed with the wrong lady, punk!” I said, pounding my foot on the pavement. A ripple of energy cracked the pavement and sent Purple Dragons flying in all directions.

 The behemoth stood up and glowered at me, his eyes practically erupting with anger. I stood my ground, coiling my hand into a fist. I made a motion like I was shoving something, and he flew backwards like a leaf in the wind. He stood back up and started barking orders to fall back.

 I stood there, wondering what the heck just happened when I remembered about the turtle dude I had inaverdently saved, who was still slumped against the wall behind me. I turned and hoisted him onto my back, trudging all the way back to my apartment.  
________________________________________

Kristin: Man this is weird  
Me: Ikr first the Purple Dragons, and now this. What the heck is going on!?  
Kristin: You’re asking the wrong She-Wolf*1, bro I have no idea  
Me: You think this was the blip on the radar we saw?  
Kristin: I don't think so. The radar only goes off when it senses something bad. If the turtle guy was bad, why would the PDs           be beating up on one of their allies?  
Me: Yeah you’re right. Anyway, I put him on my bed; I’m on the futon I brought with me. I hope he’ll be okay…  
Kristin: Dude, trust me; under your care, he’ll be fine. Did you wrap him up?  
Me: Of course. He was bleeding real bad, so I had to wash him up first. He looks a lot better without blood running down his face…  
Kristin: Alright let me know how he’s doing in the morning I’m gonna hit the sack. You should probably do the same.  
Me: Okay good night

 I fluffed up my pillow and rested my head on it, gazing at him for a long time before finally falling asleep, my sais lying next to me just in case.

 I woke up the next morning to a cell phone going off. It wasn't mine. Afraid it would wake up the injured turtle, I leapt up and grabbed it, the thought not even crossing my mind of who it could be. I didn’t say anything and put it to my ear.

 “Leo? Are you okay?” The voice on the other end said, “You went for a roof top run and didn’t come back. What the shell happened?”

 “I…” I stuttered, not sure how to respond.

 The other end of the line went silent for a few seconds. “…You’re not Leo,” the voice said and hung up.

 I slowly put the phone back where I had picked it up from and sank back down to the floor. What the heck was going on!?

 I looked back up at the turtle guy and clenched my fists. I didn’t know what was happening, but I was determined to find out. I picked up my sais and found buttons on the hilts that I hadn’t noticed before. I had to push them up to press them, but I guess that was so I didn’t accidentally press them while I was fighting. When I pressed them, the weapons flattened out and collapsed into a size small enough to fit in my pocket. I shot a quick text out thanking Kristin for the low profile weapon upgrade*2 and changed his bandages. After quickly changing into some black clothes, I wrote a brief note explaining who I was and what happened and set it on the nightstand next to the bed, just in case he woke up while I was gone. I put my upgraded sais in my pockets and walked out the door, stealing one last glance at him before closing it.  
________________________________________

 The Purple Dragons’ hideout wasn’t hard to find. The run-down building on the outskirts of town was absolutely crawling with them. I watched from a distance until I knew how to get in. I walked up to the guard by the entrance and held up three fingers. He waved me in, and I walked right through the front door.

 I walked into what looked like a boxing arena, but there were blood stains in the ring. I stayed in the shadows as best as I could, which was hard with all of the spotlights everywhere. Finally I found a spot where they didn’t shine and sat down, contemplating my next move.

 Suddenly the lights got dim, and the crowds in the bleachers got really loud, chanting the name Hun over and over again. Then movement drew my eyes to center stage where the behemoth dude from last night got on the floor and waved his hands in the air, smirking.

 Well, I thought to myself, this is definitely the place I wanted.

 “Welcome, Dragons, to the Annual Qualifying Rounds!” Hun shouted, making the crowd go wild once again. The same guy who had thrown me into the wall came onto the floor and crossed his arms, his muscles rippling in the light. “Have we got a show for you!” Hun continued, “Some newbies think they have the guts to defeat Mace!” The crowd started booing. A few other guys – apparently the newbies – stepped on stage and lined up. They looked significantly less rough than the other Purple Dragons, but it was obvious that they tried. “Dragons, without further delay, fight!” Hun yelled, and Mace immediately started whomping on the poor new guys.

 When blood first started splattering, the crowd went absolutely berserk. After just a minute of being beat senseless, the newbies fell face-down on the floor, blood pooling under them.

 “Ooh, it’s a knock-out!” Hun said excitedly.

 “I’ve got yer knock-out right here, whack bag!” a Brooklyn accented voice yelled and pounced onto Hun, fists flying.

 I gasped. The vigilante who had boldly attacked Hun looked just like the guy I had left back at the apartment, yet...different. He had a red bandana instead of blue, and his skin tone was a little darker. On top of that, he had sais in his belt much like mine.

 Most of the Purple Dragons on the bleachers got up and surrounded the turtle, weapons drawn.

 I could stay in my seat no longer. I jumped up and leapt into the ring with him, pulling out my own sais to fight.

 “Who da shell are you!?” He bellowed.

 “A friend,” I said, compressing the butterflies in my stomach.

 Hun stood up and saw me, his eyes widening. “You!” he yelled mostly in confusion. “Kill both of them!”

 With that, they all yelled and charged toward us. I put up a force-field by reflex, and they all bounced harmlessly off the shimmering surface. I contracted my hand, and the once-smooth shield started pulsing with electricity. “Stay close to me,” I said to him while the Purple Dragons started backing off.

 “They’re blockin’ da exit,” he protested.

 “Then let’s make another one!” I said excitedly. I noticed a space between us and the far wall, so I clenched my fists and started running toward it. I looked behind me to see him keeping perfect time with my footsteps.

 The wall didn’t stand a chance when we got to it. The force-field blew out a giant hole in it, making the sound echo through the empty streets. The impact, however, took out the force-field.

 Then it was his turn to lead. He grabbed my arm and led me into an alleyway across the street. We ducked into the shadows and hid there for a few minutes while the Purple Dragons combed the area.

 “Ya got a place we can lay low for a while?” He asked me, keeping an eye over his shoulder.

 “My apartment,” I said quietly, “It’s in the quietest part of town.”

 He nodded and looked up, seeming to survey the area. “Follow me,” he said and climbed the ladder on the side of the building, helping me up. “Try and keep up.”  
With that, we went on an iconic roof top run. He seemed impressed that I was keeping time with him. “What’s your name, kid?” he asked.

 “Clare,” I said, “but my friends call me Minx. What’s yours?”

 “Raphael.”  
________________________________________

 When we got back to the apartment, the guy I had saved last night was in a sitting position, meditating.

 Raphael saw that his brother was hurt and grabbed my shirt collar, slamming me into the wall. “What did ya do to mah bro!?”

 “Raph,” the other one calmly said, not even opening his eyes, “it wasn’t her.”

 The hotheaded turtle turned and looked at him, loosening his grip on me a bit. “Then who da shell was it!?”

 “The Purple Dragons,” an old, wise voice said from the shadows. Someone emerged while they were speaking. “Miss,” he turned to me, “I am called Splinter. Truly I am sorry for getting you involved.”

 “That’s quite alright,” I shrugged Raph’s fists off of my shirt, “I was getting a little bored anyway.” I turned to the turtle sitting on the bed. “Are you feeling alright?”

 He raised a hand to his shoulder and moved it around a little. “My joints are still usable, so I guess I am. Were you the one who patched me up?”

 “Did I do okay?” I said, suddenly sheepish.

 Leo smiled at me, his cheeks dusted with a light blush. "My name's Leonardo. Leo for short. And you are?"

 "I'm Clare, but you may call me Minx."

 Suddenly my phone went off, and I looked over to see another turtle texting on my phone.

 Splinter noticed at the same time I did and whacked the orange-banded turtle with his walking stick.

 “OW! What!? Oh, hi!! I’m Mikey!” he said, making me giggle, not really minding about him ‘borrowing’ my phone.

 A fourth one snatched my phone and threw it to me. “Okay, who’s Cry, and they text a lot,” he said jokingly. “My name’s Donatello, by the way. Or Don. Or Donnie. I answer to all three."

 I smiled and looked at my phone to see a long line of texts that I didn’t send and rolled my eyes. “Cry’s my sister’s nickname,” I explained, “she's still back home in Michigan.”

 “Clare, have you heard of the Foot Clan?” Leo asked.

 I nodded. "The Foot and I go a long way back. We've never been on good terms."

 “If that’s the case, they’ll be scouring the city looking for all of us,” Donatello said.

 “Minx, you’d better get out of the city while you still have all five limbs,” Raph said to me.

 “And leave you guys here to try and fend off two dang armies?” I said.

 “Angel cakes, we’ve been caught in a cross fire between two armies before; we can handle it,” Mikey consoled me.

 “Yes, but if that was just a cross-fire,” I countered, “Their attacks weren’t aimed at you.”

 “I hate ta say it, but da lil’ lady’s got a point,” Raphael said, making me blush ever so slightly.

 “She’s right,” Leo agreed, “I think it’s best if the Foot doesn’t know that you’re here yet.”

 A sheepish look came across Raph’s face. “Ah…da PDs know…”

 “You alerted them, you knucklehead!?” Mikey said.

 “Don’t. Tempt me, Mikey,” the red-banded turtle shook his finger in the air.

 “That’s quite enough,” I said, “What’s done is done. They know. Nothin’ we can do about it now.”

 Surprised at my authoritative tone, Splinter turned to them. “She is correct on both subjects. I’m afraid we will have to sit this one out.”

 “Got someplace we can crash for a while?” Mikey slapped his arm around my shoulders, making me jump.

 “Uh…yeah,” I said.

 “We wouldn’t be a burden?” Don asked.

 “You’d do no such thing!” I said, pretending to be offended.

 “Excellent,” Splinter said, stroking the fur on his chin, “When shall we depart?”

 “The sooner the better,” Leo said, looking at me for confirmation.

 “He’s right,” I agreed, “If the Purple Dragons and the Foot are in cahoots, they’ll be combing the city before we realize.”

 “If we travel by sewer, we should be able to get to the outskirts of the city without having to come to the surface,” Don said.

 Mikey leaped into the air. “Road trip!” he yelled.

 

 

 

*1 She-Wolves are basically furries. Picture a normal human, but with a long bushy tail and wolf ears in addition to their normal ones.

*2 Kristin is like Donnie in girl form; she's the mechanic, technician, and pretty much every other role that Don plays in the group.

I am working on the second chapter now, but as you probably know, writer's block is a jerk D:


	2. Through the Sewers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, the journey begins. It seems to be going fine - that is, until some old 'friends' visit...

I shook my head to clear it and realized I had zoned out during most of Mikey’s excited chatter. I looked ahead to watch the three shells of his brothers, and the back of Master Splinter’s brown kimono. It seemed like they were at home here in the sewers, which they probably were.

The tunnel suddenly opened up, and I almost bumped right into Donatello’s shell, again shaking me from my thoughts. I shouldered my way past the turtles to see why we had stopped.

“Drop-off tunnels,” Donnie almost read my mind, “they’re everywhere. The fastest way is right over them.”

“Leave it to me,” I said and put out both of my hands. The air between us and the next platform began to shimmer and solidify, providing a walkway. They seemed apprehensive to cross it, so I stepped out to show them it was safe.

Michelangelo’s face split into a goofy grin. “Wicked!!” he shouted and skipped happily across, followed a bit more cautiously by the other four.

Once safely on the other side, I turned and put out my hand, and the force-field dissipated so no one could follow us. With that, we kept moving.

“Ya ain’t human, are ya?” Raphael asked me.

My ears went back a little, and I looked at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “No,” I said flatly.

“Were you always…you know…” Leonardo asked awkwardly, gesturing to my tail and ears.

My tail twitched, and my eyebrows scrunched.

“My sons,” Splinter snapped, “It is obvious she does not wish to speak of it!”

“No, it’s alright, Splinter,” I waved my hand in a friendly gesture, “Y’all have the right to know.

Mikey snickered from behind me. “Y’all,” he repeated and doubled over in laughter.

“Ignore Mikey,” Don said, “It’ll make your life a whole lot easier.”

I smiled, and then frowned at the story I had to tell. “Okay, in a nutshell,” I began, “when my sister and I were younger, we got into a bad accident. Ever since then, we’ve been able to…well…see things…”

“’See things’?” Leo repeated.

“Yeah, like demons and stuff,” I said.

“That is SO COOL!!!!” Mikey shouted, doing a cartwheel in front of us.

I laughed. “Anyway, these guys named Bishop and Baxter Stockman got interested and kidnapped us both. They took us to their lab and spliced our DNA with an Ethiopian Wolf’s DNA. That’s where these come from,” I gestured to my wolf parts.

"Bishop and Stockman," Raph steamed, "I oughta ring their necks!"

"You and me both," I agreed.

“So the force-field ability was a side effect from the splicing?” Don asked.

I nodded. “I have other abilities, but that’s for another time. Right now, we need to focus on getting to Michigan.”

After a while of walking, there was suddenly a slight tremor, and Splinter stopped and inclined his head, his nose twitching slightly. “That was no normal tremor,” he said ominously.

“What is it, sensei?” Leo asked.

My sensitive ears picked up crackling from above, and Splinter seemed to hear it, too. I suddenly planted my hands on Raph’s plastron and shoved him forward, jumping back just as the tunnel caved in, separating me from them.

“Clare!” I heard Raph’s muffled shout, “Are ya alright!?”

“I’m fine!” I yelled, “Is everyone uninjured over there?”

“We’re A-Okay, Minxey!” Mikey yelled, and I rolled my eyes at my new pet name.

“Good! Then get away from the rocks! You have 30 seconds!” I yelled then heard the sound of shuffling feet going away from the blockade. I got in a stance with my left foot in front of me, my hands at my sides in fists. I took a deep breath, focusing on the rocks in front of me. Sweeping my arms around, I pounded the ground with my right foot and stiffly punched the air with my right fist. The ground rippled, then split apart, the rift going quick as a bullet toward the blockade. They collided with a sound like dynamite, and the rocks crumbled, opening the tunnel again.

The turtles and Splinter were standing a little ways away, staring at me with deer-in-the-headlights looks. I ran toward them through the dust clouds that had sprung up and skidded to a stop right in front of them, putting my hands behind my back and putting an innocent smile on my face.

“Uh…” for once Donnie was at a loss for words. “Another effect of the splicing?”

I giggled and nodded, sheepishly tightening my pony tail. I suddenly sensed something from behind me and whirled around. There was nothing there. Puzzled, I turned back to the others. “Splinter?” I questioned.

His ears twitched, and his eyes locked on the tunnel that had been caved in. “We must go,” he said, turning and walking ahead.

The others all looked at each other and shrugged; they followed, though anyway.

“Did you and sensei sense something?” Leo asked me, still keeping a vigilant eye over his shoulder.

“Still do,” I breathed, nodding and glancing over my own shoulder.

“Like a presence?” Mikey said a little too loudly.

“Naw, it was a peanut butter jelly sammich,” Raph said sarcastically, “Of course it was a presence, shell-for-brains. Now pipe down!”

“OW!!” Mikey yelled right after the sound of a smack.

“My sons, enough!” Splinter commanded, looking sharply over his right shoulder at us. “We must be silent if we do not wish to be found!”

As if a switch was flipped, all four brothers went completely silent. If I hadn’t already heard them, I wouldn’t even know they were there. I took the hint and started stepping as lightly as I could.

“We’ve dealt with this kind of thing before,” Donnie whispered in my ear, making me jump.

“You have?” I said just as quietly.

“The Foot-tech ninja have cloaking devices that allow them to go invisible,” was all he said in reply.

I thought it scary how I couldn’t see these Foot-tech ninja. I was used to being able to see the unseen with my ability to see demons, so I was exploring new territory here.

The tunnels were almost pitch black, so I had to rely on my other senses in order to discern where the others were. I had heard of using something called Ki*1 to sense things, but I hadn’t perfected it yet.

I could still sense something behind us, and whatever it was, there was more than one. Heck, there were more than ten! It was getting closer, and even though I’m not a nervous kind of person, I found myself inching closer to Raph for comfort. I could tell it was Raph by his smell; smoky, like a bonfire, and some kind of spice I can’t name*2.

Suddenly I felt hands grip me around the face and neck, muffling my screams and pulling me away from the others. I bit the intruder’s hand until I tasted warm blood stream into my mouth. “RUN!!!” I screeched.

“No way!” Raph yelled and expertly threw one of his sai at my attacker, and I felt a shower of something warm and wet spray all over me. By the gurgling sound coming from behind me, I’d say the sharp tip had pierced the Foot-tech in the throat.

Someone picked me up, and I instinctively reached up to feel whether or not this person had a plastron. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt the smooth, hard substance come into contact with my fingertips. “It’s aight, it’s me,” Raph said in his heavy Brooklyn accent.

“Let’s get out of here!” Leo yelled, and I felt wind against my face as I bounced along with Raph’s footsteps.

I felt my face heat up, and I was glad it was dark so he wouldn’t see my face turning pure red.

“Guys!?” Donnie said franticly, no longer bothering to be quiet, “They didn’t act alone!”

“Da shell’s DAT s’posta mean!?” Raph huffed.

“Turn left in approximately five seconds; that’ll lead to a round-about tunnel that will loop around to the same tunnel we’re in now,” the purple banded ninja said, ignoring Raph's question.

“Roger that,” Leo said.

Raph grunted in agreement.

“Okey-dokey!” Mikey sang, almost as if all this didn’t bother him, which it probably didn’t.

“Now!” Donnie yelled a couple seconds later, and we all turned into a tunnel that branched off of the main one; just as I sensed a whole bunch of Foot-techs drop into the tunnel ahead.

The Foot-techs followed. All of them. Still, the pounding footfalls of the ninja kame and their master echoed off the walls.

“How the heck do you guys have so much stamina!?” I asked, grabbing onto Raph’s bicep as he leaped over a gap that I didn’t even see.

“We’re built that way, Minxey-poo!” Mikey said and laughed like this was the most fun he’d had in his life.

“Yea, but we ain’t gonna be able to hold out like dis forevah,” Raph grunted.

“Donnie,” Leo barked, “Where’s the next exit tunnel?”

“Up ahead,” he replied, “If we do this right, we should be able to shake these guys. Clare, when I tell you, can you make the tunnel cave in?”

“I can try!” I said.

“That’s the spirit!” Mikey said, and by the sound of skin against concrete, I’d say he did another cartwheel.

“Good! Raph, put her down and guide her through the tunnel! Minx, on go!” Don barked.

Raph put me down and practically dragged me by the arm down the tunnel at a breakneck pace. I don’t think that was what Donnie meant by ‘guide’, but oh well.

Suddenly I felt the walls open up, and Don yelled, “Go!”

I did the same thing I had done earlier to break down the blockade, but this time, instead of stiffly punching the air, I aimed my open-palmed hand at the ceiling. The ripple of energy ran up the wall and released in the roof of the tunnel, effectively making a cave-in.

Despite their amazing stamina, the guys and Splinter were all panting and struggling to catch their breaths.

After a quick break, Splinter turned his head down the tunnel we were to travel down and took a step forward. “We must keep moving,” he said and continued walking.

My eyes were adjusting to the dark, and I stole a quick glance over my shoulder at the tunnel behind us. I didn’t see or sense anything, so I faced forward and followed them.

~Third Person POV~

Clare followed the Hamato family down the dark tunnel after glancing over her shoulder. Six pairs of eyes watched them disappear, then looked at each other. One of them – apparently the leader – tossed his head and started running in the opposite direction of the group, the others following silently.

 

 

 

*1 Ki is like personal echolocation. It bounces off of solid objects and back to the recipient, telling them where obstacles are in the dark.

*2 This was actually borrowed from the story "Whispers in the Dark" by ombre_des_dieux. Check out her story! It's amazing!!! :D

Oh no!! Who were those mysterious figures watching our gang in the dark!? Honestly, I don't even know yet, so I know about as much as you do. I'm just making this up as I go :P got any suggestions for me? Pop 'em in the comments! *waves dramatically at the comment section* Fire away!


	3. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know AN's are boring, but I thought I'd put one in just for kicks. :P

 Hey guys! Kastrallis here! I noticed we had reached 10 hits this morning and thought I'd say thank you! To other people, ten hits may not seem like a lot, but it is to me! Thank you so much!

  Connections is in the works, I swear. I have no excuse for the lack of updates other than writer's block and just plain laziness. *rubs back of head and smiles sheepishly*

  Anyway, the third chapter is in progress, but I'll need to bust my shell to get it done hopefully in the next few days ;)

  Don't worry, you'll be able to meet Kristin very soon; she's well worth the wait! :D

  On that note, I'd like to ask if y'all would like me to start publishing another story I'm writing. ~it's actually the other reason Connections has been going so slow~ It's about a girl from another planet that was forced to come here due to her own being destroyed. The thing is, the ones who destroyed her home are still after her. I won't spoil the rest of the plot line; you'll just have to read it yourself!

  Please don't keep your opinions to yourself! I am open to criticism, and I realize my writing could use some work. The comments are open, so feel free to say whatever's on your mind! I'm tough, I can take it ;D

  Until next time, Meine Freundin! (German for my friends, but you probably knew that ;P)


	4. Turtles on Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To be perfectly honest, I was tempted to name this chapter 'We're on a BOAT!!!" lel

“C’mon, Leo!” Mikey shouted impatiently, “I don’t wanna keep staring at your butt any longer than I have to!”

Raph snickered from below me. “I dunno ‘bout you guys, but I’m enjoyin’ da view…”

“Are you asking for a crack in your shell?” I snapped.

“Shh!” Leo hissed. He finally climbed out of the manhole and gave the signal for us to follow. I climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and accepted Leo’s outstretched hand to help me up.

“Aww, so soon?” Raph whined, winking at me suggestively.

I narrowed my eyes and raised my hand to slap him, but he grabbed my wrist and smirked. I slapped him across the face with my free hand with a satisfying smack.

“You so earned that one,” Don grinned at him. Raph glared back at his brother with flames in his eyes, running his hand over the spot where I had hit him.

“Let’s keep moving,” Leo noticeably rolled his eyes and climbed the fire escape on the building next to us, favoring his right shoulder.

Splinter and I shared a knowing look and followed behind the others as we went on another roof top run, headed for the docks. “What’s next?” I caught up to Leo and ran alongside him. I’m the kind of person who likes to know what to expect.

“We hitch a ride on one of the cargo ships. Are you good at hiding?” he said.

“You kidding? Heck yeah I’m good at hiding!” I said, gleefully leaping over another gap, my foot hitting the next building right after Leo’s did.

“Probably not as good as me!” Mikey laughed, pointing a thumb at himself and winking to emphasize his point.

“Ha! We’ll see about that!” I exclaimed, smiling and narrowing my eyes playfully. Leo stopped suddenly, grabbing the hood of my jacket and yanking me to the ground beside him. “Hey!” I hissed, but then followed his steely gaze down to the ground below while the others instinctively lined up on either side of us. Puzzled I didn’t see anything, I turned to Leo to ask if it was more Foot-techs when he put a finger to his lips in the universal signal to ‘be quiet’.

Raph growled from beside me. “Da shell we waitin’ fer!?” he snarled, and Splinter slapped a paw over his mouth.

Something was wrong. Every muscle was tense, every ear strained.

I looked to Mikey for help clearing the confusion. What’s going on? I mouthed.

Foot ninja, he mouthed back.

How many?

He shrugged in response and looked at Donnie, repeating my question to him.

25, the purple banded turtle mouthed to me.

“If we fight them and win, the others will know exactly where we’re going. We need some way to get around them undetected,” Leo breathed, his voice smooth.

I peeked over the ledge that jutted up all the way around the warehouse we were on. The pier was tantalizingly close; I could smell the water and metal that came from the cargo ships that were all parked in between the boardwalks. It seemed that the only one that was ready to ship out (no pun intended) was the middle one; the one the Foot ninja were blocking us off from. I growled softly and surveyed the ground.

There was really nothing to hide behind; just a few stray boxes and crates that might be big enough to fit a person, but there were only a few of those. How the heck are 25 ninjas hiding down there!? Heh. Key word; ninja. Now that I strained my eyes, I could see outlines of solid forms crouched in the shadows, but only a little. Just great, there were a lot of shadowed off areas now that I looked. Maybe if I could count them all, I could see if all 25 were down there. Hmm, reminds me of a search-and-find puzzle. Good thing I’m good at those. After starting over about three times, I was able to count…24. 24? Where’s the 25th?

“Donnie?” I breathed, ducking my head back into the safety of the ledge, “Where’s the last one?”

It looked like he was looking for the same thing I was, except he was using the radar, making it cast odd shadows on his face. He looked up at me with concern filling his chocolate brown eyes. He lifted a hand and pointed to something behind me.

I turned to look and saw a guy dressed all in black, his eyes yellow, and a Foot emblem on the right shoulder of his tunic. Instinctively I stepped back a few feet, and he must’ve taken that as a sign of fear because he lunged. Before he could reach me, a blur of gray fur and brown fabric tackled him mid-air, engaging in hand-to-hand combat as soon as they touched the roof.

Splinter!

I was frozen. Leo jumped into his leadership role and started barking out orders. “Clare, Mikey, lure the other Foot soldiers away from this area! Donnie, Raph, you get that cargo ship started up! I’ll help Master Splinter!”

Everyone dispersed to their places, and Mikey broke me out of my trance, dragging me off of the building and into the streetlights. It worked like a charm; the other 24 Foot ninjas all came out of hiding and started chasing us. We ran like shell.

“Once we have ‘em where we want ‘em, we kick some shell! Got it?” he smiled ear-to-ear at me like we weren’t running at top speed.

I nodded and looked over my shoulder. I shouldn’t have. The 24 ninjas all ran after us. Blood-thirsty, the word popped into my mind before I could stop it. I faced forward again and glanced up at the buildings. I was so intent on my survey that I almost didn’t notice that Mikey had stopped running. So did our pursuers.

“Mikey,” I said with concern cracking my voice, “We’re outnumbered 12 to one, here…” And I was right. The Foot all circled around us, effectively blocking us off from any other direction.

“That’s where you come in, sugar cakes!” he smiled at me, swinging his nunchakus under his arms.

I nodded, unsure. There was one move that I hadn’t perfected yet, and the fighter in me saw a perfect opportunity to try it out.

The Foot soldiers were all moving around us in a circle, getting closer and closer with each pass.

I crossed my legs and jumped up, kicking my legs out in a circle. The ground all around us began to crack. I drew myself up to my full height and pounded my right leg down, pummel-driving with my left elbow. The ground that had cracked all fell through, leaving the Foot soldiers to fall with it. I swept the air with my arms and clapped once, and the earth closed up again like nothing had happened.

When I turned back to Mikey, his jaw was practically on the ground; he looked as surprised as I felt. I suddenly started laughing at the oddity of the situation. My laugh isn’t pretty; filled with squeaking inhales and snorts, not to mention the laugh itself is deep. “I…ha-ha…you…your face hahahahaha!!!!” I yelled between inhales and snorts.

Before long we were both rolling on the ground, tears streaming down our faces, our laughs echoing down the quiet pier.

“We…ha-ha…gotta get back…to the others hahahaha!!!” Mikey wiped the tears from his eyes and gave me a hand up.

We made our way back to the pier we had all separated from, and found that one of the cargo ships was running.

“Guess that’s our ticket to Michigan, huh?” Mikey said to me like he was in a movie or something.

“Guess so,” I agreed as we walked up the ramp and onto the deck of the ship, which was filled with boxes and crates that I could only guess the contents of.

“Welcome aboard the S.S. Turtle!” the orange-banded ninja swept his arms around dramatically, making me laugh.

“Now dat’s da cheesiest boat name I’ve evah heard,” Raph retorted, spitting off to the side. I made a mental note not to step there.

“Hey!” the younger one put his fists on his hips indignantly.

“Is everyone on?” Leo yelled from the top of the crates; how the heck he got up there is beyond me.

“For, as they say, ‘this ship is leaving’,” Splinter smiled.

“Eye-eye, cap’n! The crew is ready to ship out!” Mikey said in his best pirate voice, then laughed at his own genius.

Raph and I pulled up the ramp, and Donnie gunned the engine as we shipped off for Michigan.

 

 

Hey guys! Kastrallis here! I apologize for this chapter being so LATEEE!!!!! This isn’t much of an excuse, but life’s been really hectic as of late. Between school, the exercises I have to do for my scoliosis, and my three fur babies (cats lol) to take care of, I haven’t found much time to squeeze this in..sry. Anyway, I’ll get started on the next chapter ASAP! Bye now!


	5. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out some stuff about our She-Wolf...

I’ve always loved the smell of the lakes. It smells like water, mostly, with a hint of…something I can’t put my finger on. Whatever it is, it reminds me of my childhood. So here I am, on a cargo ship breathing in the smell in huge gulps.

Master Splinter sat meditating on top of the big heavy crates, while Leonardo preferred to stand on top of the captain’s quarters practicing his…katas, I think he called them? Michelangelo was probably talking Donatello’s ear off below the eldest brother, and Raphael stood next to me by the rail.

“Careful,” he said suddenly, “Yer gonna fall off da ship if ya lean dat far out.”

My face flushed at his words. I _was_ leaning pretty far over the rail, trying to get as much of that smell as possible. I drew myself back into the safety of the rail and put my back against it, giving him a sideways glance.

He snorted and spat into the water. Suddenly he gave an inward gasp. “What the shell is _dat!?”_

I spun on my heel to see what he was talking about. An elongated shadow about six feet long loomed just under the surface of the water. I smiled and went back to my previous position. “Relax, big guy. It’s just a tarpon.”

“A who-what now?” he gave me a confused look.

“A tarpon,” I repeated, “They’re a freshwater fish that get up to eight feet long. They get pretty territorial, so if even a boat comes along, they’re bound to come up and check it out. Once we’re out of its turf, it’ll bug off.”

“Ya grow up on da water or sumthin’?”

“No, my dad did. He was always telling us horror stories about when he would go fishing when he was growing up.”

“’Was’?” he repeated.

My ears went back slightly. Both of my parents are dead, and I’m still trying to get over it.

Raph must’ve understood, because he nudged at my arm reassuringly. “Hey, I’m sorry, bucko.”

I tried to smile. “It wasn’t _your_ fault.”

He cleared his throat, changing the subject. “So, yer sister,” he said, “What’s she like?”

My ears perked up again. “She’s great; like a second mother to me. I’m older by about an hour, but she still manages to be a few inches taller.” I paused and sighed. “We’re all we got now.” I went back to staring at the water, grinning when I saw the tarpon still checking us out.

Raph turned his head to look at his older brother perched atop the bridge and smirked. “How’s da weather up there, bro? Ya gettin’ plenty of fresh air?”

“Yes, actually,” Leo replied coolly, ignoring the annoyed edge to the hot-headed turtle’s voice. “Maybe you should try it sometime.”

“Nah, I’m good right where I am,” he winked at me.

I gave a sideways smile, amused by the apparent sibling rivalry. Well, they _were_ four brothers all close in age. There was bound to be _some_ kind of family feud. That reminded me of something. “Hey Raph?” I asked, still staring at the rippling blue surface.

He snorted in acknowledgement.

“Did y’all ever have a mom?”

“Ya mean how did we get ta be…y’know, mutated?” he raised a…do turtles have eyebrows? Eye ridges, I suppose.

“I guess, yeah,” I said carefully, not wanting to offend him.

He spat for the umpteenth time and began. “When we were infants, a kid bought us from da pet store-“

“You used to be little itty bitty turtles?” I interrupted, suddenly getting one of those fan girl episodes any girl would understand. You know that feeling you get when you see a puppy or something cute like that and start doting over it? Yeah, that’s the feeling.

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and you use ta be an itty bitty wolf child. Big deal,” he put his thumb in the strap tied around his waist and looked at me with annoyance written on his face.

I giggled and waved my hand at him. “Sorry, continue?”

He rolled his eyes and spat – again –, picking up his story where he left off. “Anyway, he was crossin’ da street, and a truck came barrelin’ at ‘em from around da corner. In da confusion, he dropped da jar we were in, and we fell into da sewer. Da thing is, this truck had a hole in da side of it, and it was full of canisters of some kinda ooze. One of da canisters fell into the sewer with us ‘n’ broke open.”

“And the ooze in the canister made you into what you are now?” I finished.

“Ya could just say ‘mutated us into freaks’. Dat’s prolly what yer thinkin’.” He said sharply.

“Now why would I think that? I’m not exactly human, either,” I folded my arms, looking at the tarpon still hanging out by the hull of the boat.

He snorted in response and spat into the water. “Yeah? Well at least _you_ don’t hafta hide in da shadows all yer life. And when ya _do_ come into da light, some punk calls ya a freak just because ya look different.” He turned and stalked away.

 _Well_ that _could’ve gone better,_ I thought to myself. Suddenly a hand gripped my shoulder. “Don’t mind him,” a smooth voice said. I turned to see Leo standing there, scowling at the general direction Raph had gone, then looked down at me with a sympathetic smile. “He’s still trying to deal with the fact we’re mutated turtles.”

I shrugged. “That’s alright. I used to be the same way.”

He nodded and turned to look out at the water with me.

I looked up at him with reverence. The moonlight glinted off of his face, the breeze lifting his sky blue mask tails. “How’s your shoulder?” I asked.

He smiled. “Fine, thanks to you. Where did you learn?”

“With the kind of trouble my sister and I get into, trust me, we both learn a little first aid by necessity,” I grinned.

“I could tell you stories,” he said happily.

We both laughed a little, before sighing and settling back into a peaceful silence. It wasn’t awkward; we both just turned our faces to the moon and soaked in the aura it gave off.

“Well, I’d better go relieve Donny of Mikey’s incessant chatter,” Leo said after a few moments and started walking toward the bridge he had just been on top of five minutes ago.

I watched him go until he turned the corner and I couldn’t see him anymore, and I turned back to the moon. I’ve always been drawn to the moon; maybe it’s because I’m part wolf? Cliché, I know, but it’s the only explanation I could come up with. Sometimes, if I listened long and hard enough, I could swear it spoke to me. What it said, I couldn’t tell you, but it always feels like it’s telling me something important, like a huge secret it chose to only tell me. Special, huh? I could listen for hours. Literally. Once when I was little, I went outside on a full moon and just sat there until the moon waved good-bye and disappeared over the horizon. Those were the good days; when we were young and innocent.

 _When we still had Mom and Dad,_ the thought came to mind.

I had been smiling, but now the fragile happy grin left my lips at the thought of Mom and Dad. They were wonderful parents, the best friends I had ever had ~besides Kristin~, not to mention the ones who raised us from birth. They were there when Kristin and I got mutated. They didn’t care what we looked like; they still loved us the same. Now, though, there’s no one left that accepts us for who and what we are.

It started raining, and I felt the drops running down my face. It was a couple seconds before I realized it wasn’t raining; I was crying for the first time in…a year? Yeah, a year. The drops fell onto the rail and into the water, and I sniffled pitifully. Then I caught myself. I shouldn’t be crying; I should be staying strong for Kristin’s sake. Heck, for my _own_ sake! Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from burying my face in my arms and sobbing my heart out.

A clawed paw was placed gently on my bare arm, and I looked up with tears flowing down my cheeks.

Splinter looked back at me with brown eyes filled with knowing. He didn’t say anything; he just opened his arms.

I fell into his embrace and gripped at his kimono, my sobs filled with little uncontrollable hiccups and sniffles.

Neither of us said anything; sometimes you don’t need words.

“Land ho, me hardies!” Mikey yelled.

 

 

‘Sup? *does a super complex handshake with you* 20 hits, wow! I honestly didn’t think anybody would see it! Or even like it, for that matter! Thank y’all so much! Kastrallis out!


	6. The Great Lake State

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, we finally arrive in Clare's home! Or, the sewers, anyway...

“Is dat thing downloaded yet?” Raphael asked impatiently, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

“Patience, Raphael,” Leonardo said firmly, to which the other turtle snorted to.

I rolled my eyes and continued staring at the screen of Donatello’s radar/computer thingy. I don’t know what it’s called, okay!? The map of the Michigan sewer complex was almost done downloading.

Michelangelo started bouncing from one foot to the other, obviously bored. He sighed loudly. “Can we just go now!?” he groaned.

“Find sumthin’ ta entertain yerself, shell-for-brains,” Raph said irritably. He had been snapping at everyone since our conversation on the cargo ship, and I was about ready to snap back. I knew better, though. That was Leo or Splinter’s job; not mine.

Splinter gave him a sharp look, but said nothing.

There was a _beep_ from the radar, indicating the download was complete.

“Ugh, _finally,”_ Raph pushed himself off the wall with his foot.

“It was only like, five minutes,” I glared daggers at him as we all started walking.

“Ya been keepin’ time or sumthin’?” he huffed, passing and nudging me roughly on the arm.

Apparently he forgot I’m half his weight and I lost my balance and fell flat on my back in the muck of the sewer. _Ew._ Leo ran back to me and grabbed my hand, wrenching me to my feet. When I looked up, Raph hadn’t so much as glanced back to see if I was okay. “What is your _problem!?”_ I growled, showing my teeth. He mumbled something I didn’t quite catch. “What?”

“I said I should be askin’ _you_ da same thing!” he suddenly spun on his heel and yelled back at me.

“You’ve been acting like this since-“

_“Since what!?”_ he seethed, venom lacing his voice.

“Since you told me how you came to be,” I said quietly. “I ain’t exactly human either, so you have _no_ reason to have a chip on your shell about me asking! I know you’re a hot-head, but this is different.”

He spat fiercely to the side, as if _that_ would intimidate me. “So I don’t like bein’ called a freak. Is _dat_ so wrong!?”

“No one likes being called a freak, Raphael! I should know; I’m one myself! And I never called you one because I know it hurts!”

“You-“

“No, you listen to me! I don’t care that you have a different skin color! I don’t care that you have a shell on your back! I don’t even care about your short fuse! I would _never_ – mark my words – _never_ call you a freak; not even to save my own tail because that’s how _I_ would want to be treated; like an equal. And that’s _exactly_ how I’m going to treat you – all of you.” I took a long breath, waiting for him to retort, but he didn’t. He stayed perfectly silent, his breathing ragged and short. I took that as a cue to keep walking, and I did. I shouldered past him, feeling everyone’s eyes on me as I did so.

<\--------≪≫-------->

Four hours of walking later, we decided it was high time for a break. We chose a spot near a ladder and settled down for a rest. No sooner had I sat down that my phone went off. Sighing, I took it out of my back pocket and unlocked it. Messages from Kristin suddenly exploded onto the screen, saying things like, ‘Is everything alright?’ and ‘What’s going on?’

Me: Cry. I’m fine. My phone malfunctioned and I didn’t get ur texts until just now.

She responded almost immediately, almost like she had been sitting there staring at her phone, waiting for it to go off. I smiled; I could imagine her intensely boring holes into her phone.

Cry: Thank GOD!! I thought u were dead or something! Where r u right now??

Me: lol I’m in the Michigan sewers right now. I’ll explain later. Hopefully I’ll be home within the next 12 hours or less.

Cry: U had BETTER not bring any unexpected guests, Minx!

Me: Don’t worry no one’s following me. I DO have five friends with me. So when I come home, don’t freak out to see four mutant turtles and a mutant rat. K?

Cry: Uh…Okay? I’ll try.

I put my phone away and tried to get comfortable, which proved difficult with my back up against the hard brick wall of the sewer. Closing my eyes, I tried to sleep. Leo had volunteered for the first watch; I was next.

It wasn’t long before I felt a pair of eyes on me and opened my own. I hate the feeling of being watched. I scanned each face and found that none of them were staring at me as intently as I felt. Then I got to Raph.

His amber eyes were staring directly at me, almost as if he was trying to memorize every curve, every line of me. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention, and I shifted uncomfortably. He noticed my squirming and smirked. I shot a glare back his way and tried to sleep again. It was no use. I sighed heavily and got up to take Leo’s place, feeling Raph’s eyes on me the whole time.

He looked really tired, having a hard time keeping his eyes open. I put a hand on his shoulder and nodded when he looked up.

The blue-masked terrapin smiled gratefully and scooted back against the wall, settling in and falling asleep almost instantly.

They all looked so peaceful when they slept, but I guess that everybody looks peaceful asleep.

It wasn’t long before I felt Raph’s presence beside me. I didn’t need to look to know it was him; I could recognize his breathing by now.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey,” I whispered back, still not looking.

“I uh…” he paused, seeming to be trying to decide what to say. “I just…wanted ta say I’m uh…sorry…”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I turned to look at him. He was staring at his hands like they were the most interesting thing in the world. He glanced up at me, and I could tell he meant it.

“I’ve really been a shell-head lately,” he says, looking back at his hands, coiling them into fists and relaxing them again.

“Yeah, yeah you have,” I agreed, punching him lightly on his emerald shoulder, to which he snorted and rolled his eyes to. “But that’s alright. I get that way a lot, too.”

“Sounds like we’re gonna get along just fine,” he grinned, flashing his teeth. They were surprisingly white for someone who’s lived in the sewer all their life.

“Technically it’s supposed to be opposites that attract,” Donnie interrupted, before letting out a huge yawn.

“Don.” Raph said sternly, “Go to sleep.”

The purple-banded ninja smiled and rolled his eyes, closing them in sleep.

“You get some rest, too, young lady,” he turned to me.

“I’m not tired, though,” I pouted.

He raised an eye ridge at me. “Yer eyes are bloodshot.”

I sighed. I wasn’t winning this one. I slid back against the wall, just then realizing how tired I really was. I fell asleep sitting up; it gave my body a chance to rest but kept my senses alert for danger.

I’ve always hated sleeping. Why? Nightmares. Every time. They’re plagued with the smiling, leering, _laughing_ faces of the ones that hold a high level of hatred in my heart. Bishop and Baxter Stockman. Every time they inject me with that green ooze, over and over and over again. My head throbs; every slap, punch, and kick is intensified, making every muscle in my body twitch and writhe in agony. I open my mouth to scream, but it’s no use.

The moment my consciousness slipped away, you guessed it; the reoccurring nightmare played itself over like a broken record player. They laughed, inflicted injuries that will never show, and forced the ooze into my system. Over and over and over and over and over and over and…

Suddenly a warm hand placed itself on my shoulder, then another on the other shoulder. Someone was calling my name. Not the synthetic name Stockman gave me, but the one I was born with. It was a shred of hope in the distance, and I clung onto it for dear life. One on the hands released my shoulder and rested on my cheek, stroking with its thumb. It pulled me out of that hell, bit by bit. Finally I found my physical body again and forced my eyes open.

I was staring through blurry vision into the amber eyes of another mutant, surrounded by red cloth.

Raphael.

I felt something wet trail down my face, and I realized why my vision was blurry; I was crying.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Master Splinter were all crowded around my shaking form, concerned expressions plastered on their faces.

I didn’t trust myself to speak, and thankfully I didn’t need to. Raphael reached his arms around my back and pulled me close to his plastron. I clutched onto the edge of his carapace and truly cried for the first time in years.

 

 

 

*Waves sheepishly* H-hey…I bet y’all are mad at me cuz’ I said the next chapter would be up soon…like a month ago…oops. I’ve thought about it and made my decision. I won’t be posting this story regularly. When a chapter comes out, a chapter comes out. That way I won’t have so much to stress over, cuz’ Lord knows I’ve got enough. Heheh. Besides, this story actually started out as a side thing, and I’d rather keep it that way. I hope y’all are okay with that. Of course, I’m the kind of person that really won’t give a hoot if you aren’t, anyway lol. *Raph barges in* “See ya later!”

Raph, that’s _my_ line! *pouts*

Byeeeee~!


	7. In Comes Kristin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally meet Kristin! She and Clare are twin sisters, btw, but Kristin's about a foot taller. Don't ask. And she's not part wolf. That'll be elaborated next chapter.

     “Raph, I told you; it was _just_ a nightmare,” I rolled my blue hues at him, smirking.

     “And I heard ya, but what I asked ‘s what it was _about_ ,” he countered.

     I sighed exasperatedly. I had already told Raphael that my sleep has been plagued with nightmares ever since I was a child, but he kept harping on what they were about. He didn’t seem to take the hint that I didn’t want to talk about it.

     “C’moooonnnn, Minxey! I wanna knooowww!!” Mikey whined.

     “It’s nothing your innocent ears need to hear, Mike,” I teased.

     “Hm, musta been real bad, then,” Raph spat once he was done speaking.

     “It’s not worth worrying about, trust me,” I stated firmly, leaving no room for argument.

     Raph held his hands up in mock defeat and snorted. “If ya say so, I ain’t gonna press ya, unlike _somebody_ over there,” he jabbed a thumb at Mikey.

     “Yeah! Unlike _somebody_...” Mikey slapped an arm around my shoulders and narrowed his baby blues, shifting them side to side suspiciously. “By the way, what _was_ the dream about??”

     I smirked at Raph and turned back to the youngest one. “I was surrounded by girly stuff, and I had a frilly dress on.”

     His expression changed to one of confusion. “Huh? But that’s not a nightmare…”

    I chortled and replied, “It is to _me!”_

     Satisfied with my answer, he gleefully ran off, peppering his stride with cartwheels.

     “Do your nightmares have anything to do with the lab that Bishop and Stockman took you to?” Donnie asked gently in his smooth voice.

     At the mention of _their_ names, I felt my expression change. “Yeah, but it’s not a big deal.” That was a boldfaced lie, and Donnie and I both knew it. By the way he was staring at me, I’d say he was reading my face like a book.

     He narrowed his brown orbs at me for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Okay, if you insist.”

     “Hey, Clare,” Leo fell back to talk to me, “Just off of a whim, did you know anyone named Leatherhead while you were in there?”

     “Was he the smart alligator dude with a big heart?” I asked, starting to recognize the name.

     “Yeah, that’s LH alright!” Mikey turned to walk backwards, his hands behind his head.

     “Dude! He was my cellmate! He was the one who helped come up with the escape plan!” I stated excitedly.

     “’S dat mean he was bein’ experimented on, too!?” Raph gruffed, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

     My face fell, and I nodded gravely. That was a time in my life I did _not_ like to remember. At least now I’m able to think about it without getting flashbacks on the spot – to a certain degree.

     Raph snarled at nothing, and he turned and punched the brick wall of the sewer with an angry grunt.

     My ears pricked forward, then shot back. I ran over to him, laying my hands on his biceps in a calming manner. “Raph! It’s okay; it’s over now!”

     He ignored me and punched the wall again, a few of the bricks starting to crack. Now Leo ran over and tried his best to calm him, but the enraged one shoved his brother’s plastron, making him stumble a few steps back. He punched again, blood spattering onto the bricks.

     I reached up and grabbed both sides of his face, forcing him to look at me. His eyes didn’t look normal – animalistic, almost. His breathing was heavy and labored, his plastron rapidly rising and falling with every breath. My hands led themselves down to his shoulders, down to his fists, feeling every muscle tensed up hard as the brick he was just hitting. I pulled them to my face, staring into his eyes the whole time. His hands were, in fact, bleeding pretty badly; he must’ve been hitting really hard to have split his knuckles in just a few hits. I blew on the fresh wounds; they must’ve stung like a jerk.

     His face softened, and his hands finally relaxed, easily enveloping mine. His breath became shaky, and he let go of one of my hands to cup my cheek. Suddenly his face hardened, and he turned and briskly walked away.

     I blinked. What the heck was _that_ about? I looked at the others, and they looked just as confused as I was.

     Leo put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t mind him, Minx.”

     “Does he do that a lot?” I asked.

     “That depends on what part you mean; he punches things a lot, yes, but…he never shows softer emotions like that. Not very often, anyway,” Donnie mused.

     I looked at Mikey, and he shrugged and kept walking along with the others.

     Splinter fell back to talk to me. “Miss Clare, if you have not discovered already, Raphael has some issues with his temper; it is something that I’m afraid is part of his nature.”

     “That’s alright,” I waved my hand in dismissal; “I get that way sometimes, too.”

     He smiled and nodded his furry head.

     I could still see Raph’s outline farther down the tunnel, and I shouldered past Leo to catch up with him. “You okay?” I asked when I got to him.

     “…Yeah.” He said after a moment’s pause.

     “Wanna talk?” I glanced up at him.

     He looked at me and raised an eye ridge. “LH’s my friend, y’know? If I evah find Bishop, Imma ram my foot so far up his-“

     “Okay, okay! I get the idea,” I interrupted, giggling a little. “You and me both! I’m gonna ring his neck just to watch ‘em squirm,” I punched my hand.

     He slapped an arm around my shoulders, albeit a little roughly. “I gotta feelin’ you ‘n me are gonna get along just fine,” he roughed up my hair with his free hand.

     I laughed and wriggled out of the headlock, smoothing back my hair and Okami ears. I wanted to ask him about the sudden show of soft emotion back there, but I decided not to. There was probably a reason he didn’t show it often, and I had a feeling what it was.

     “Hey you two! We’re coming up on our exit ladder, in about 500 feet,” Don called up to us.

     I waved my hand in acknowledgement and turned back to Raph. “So,” I said, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets, “You ever been to Michigan?”

     He shook his head. “Nah, I’ve been outta New York before, but nevah ta Michigan. I’ve heard the weather’s weird there,” he glanced at me, stopping next to a ladder to wait for the others to catch up.

     I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, we got some crazy weather; winter gets below zero, summer sometimes gets above a hundred,” I laughed at his expression change. “Don’t worry; with our living situation, we barely ever feel the numbers change drastically.”

     Before he could ask what I meant by ‘living situation’, the others caught up to us and started climbing. “Ladies first,” he said, waving me forward.

     I didn’t remember why he wanted to be below me until I was already half-way up the ladder.

<\----------≪≫---------->

     “I dunno why ya keep slappin’ me!” Raph said to me, rubbing his cheek.

     “I dunno why _you_ keep staring at my butt every time we go up a ladder!” I waved my hands around frantically.

     He smirked at me and leaned a little closer. “It looks like ya sat in sugar.”

     “What?” I asked.

     “Cuz ya got a sweet ass,” he chuckled darkly.

     I pushed his plastron, my face turning the same color as his mask. “S’cuse me, but I ain’t for sale till I’m ready to be bought, mister!”

     “Minx?” Don interrupted our banter, “You know where we are?”

     I looked around and felt my face brighten. “Sure do! Gentlemen, and Raph,” the turtle in question scoffed, “Welcome to Michigan.”

<\----------≪≫---------->

     “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Leo peered warily over my shoulder into the cavern we were about to enter.

     “Course I do! Don’t worry, I do this all the time!” I ducked into the cave made of tree roots and stuck my hand back out, beckoning for them to follow. When I was sure they were all in, I moved a slab of wood off of a hole in the ground and went down the ladder that led down into the depths. I heard them reluctantly follow me, and Leo replaced the cover since he was the last one to enter.

     I reached the bottom and walked toward a light at the end of a tunnel (no, we didn’t die, don’t worry). “Honey, I’m home!” I called out jokingly as we poured into a lit cave carved out of the dirt and stone.

     Kristin was a little ways away studying some computer monitors. She turned at my voice and smiled brightly, grabbing a bottle of water and cracking it open. “Heya, Minx!” she said cheerily, then stopped at the sight of our guests. “Um…hello? I believe I was told about you…”

     Splinter stepped forward and bowed Japanese style. “Hello miss, my name is Splinter. These are my sons, Leonardo,” the leader bowed, “Raphael,” he nodded, “Donatello,” he waved shyly, “And…” he paused.

     “Michelangelo!” he jabbed a thumb at himself, _“The_ one and only!”

     “Yeah, maybe dat’s a _good_ thing,” Raph rolled his eyes.

     Kristin laughed. “Well it’s good to finally meet you all! My name’s Kristin, but everybody calls me Cry.”

     “Make yourselves at home,” I waved to the rest of the cave, “We don’t have much, but y’know, it’s…not much.”

     “It’s just like our lair at home,” Donnie said, looking around in awe.

     It wasn’t long before everybody disbursed to different places around the cave, and Kristin pulled me aside to our sleeping area that was closed off from the rest. “Okay, so what’s the plan?” she asked, lighting up one of the lanterns in the room.

     “Keep them hidden here until it’s safe for them to go back to New York,” I explained.

     We both cringed at the sound of a crash, and a booming chorus of “MIKEY!”

     “Why isn’t it safe now?” she asked.

     “They’re being hunted.”

     “And you brought them _here!?”_ she hissed, “Minx what were you _thinking!?_ The _last_ thing we need is more enemies right now! We have enough-“

     “Cry.” I ended her rant. “It’s the Foot Clan.”

     “Exactly! All the more reason to not bring them here! Do you realize what’ll happen if Bishop and Stockman find out we’re alive? We will have to live through that hell all over again! Is that what you want!?”

     “Cry, listen to me. I’m tired of running from them. I’m sick of living in fear! It is time to take our place as warriors and end this madness once and for all!” I growled.

     She shifted on her feet, crossing her arms. “Alright fine. But after this is all over, I’m going to…well…I’ll do something, but I dunno what yet.”

     I snorted and shook my head, copying her stance. “Yeah, good luck with that. But for right now, we need to come up with the logistics of this.”

     “Like?”

     I looked her in the eye. “Like, where are they gonna sleep?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Bloody hell, when was the last time I updated this, like...two months ago?? Yeah...sounds about right... Anyway, tell me what you thought, and if you have any constructive criticism, that's greatly appreciated, too! Thanks!!


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